The Fox's Game
by careertribute789
Summary: Foxface's POV- Argent Vulpes is a 15 year old girl from District 5. When she is selected for the 74th annual Hunger Games she must try and outsmart the other tributes to win the brutal games. Please review!
1. Chapter 1 Nightmare

**The Fox's Game**

**Chapter 1- Nightmare**

**Foxface was my favorite character in the Hunger games so I decided to write the book in her POV.**

**Please review!!! I want to know what everyone thinks.**

_Screams. That is all I can hear. Screams of people being killed. I can not see them but I can hear everything that is happening to them. I am surrounded by trees and a large lake. I have no idea where I am yet I can sense that I am in terrible danger. Suddenly a creature darts out from behind a tree. A fox! The fox quickly darts through the woods obviously trying to conceal itself from something. I realize what that something is when a large wolf shoots out of the trees and flies after the fox. The wolf bares its knife like teeth at the fox. The chase continues deep into the woods. The wolf is the stronger animal and slowly catches up to the frightened fox. The fox tries to make a final attempt of escape by jumping up into a large tree yet the wolf is too fast. The wolf overpowers the fox and sinks it sharp teeth into the fox's reddish coat._

I wake up drenched in my own sweat still thinking I am in my horrible nightmare. I glance around at my roommates making sure they are still asleep. I have lived with them for my entire life in this terrible academy. I never knew either of my parents which is probably for the best. My mom left my dad for another man. My father's fate was determined 17 years ago on this very day. I slowly regain myself from my dream and begin to prepare for today. Today will not be a typical day in District 5 though. Today is probably the most feared day of the entire year. The reaping. School is always cancelled on the day of the reaping because it is such an "important" day. To me it is anything but important. The only people it might be important to is the capitol. The capitol. I can't even begin to tell anyone about how much I hate them. They are our ruling government. They rule us all like we are animals. They demand obedience and severely punish anyone who disobeys them. They established the reaping seventy four years ago right after all twelve districts rebelled against them. The capitol smashed the rebellion and obliterated what was District 13. To make sure we would never do this again the capitol established The Hunger Games in which 24 teenage tributes from districts 1-12 are forced to fight to the death. The reaping is what determines the male and female tributes for the year.

I hastily get dressed and put on my nametag labeled Argent Vulpes. I have never been particularly fond of my name yet I have managed to deal with it throughout my 15 years of life. I sneak out of my dormitory trying not to wake my roommates. I rush down the stairs to the main room where all our food is served. Some girls are already awake and eating what appears to be some kind of brownish oatmeal. Ugh! I suppose it is better than nothing though. The cafeteria has always served rather small and gross meals. Sometimes I am so hungry after meals I steal extra food from the kitchen. I have always had a thing for stealing. It has actually become a rather bad habit. I walk down and slop some of the grotesque mush onto my tray and find a table by myself. I usually would sit with my best friend Selene but I suppose she is not awake right now.

I don't have much of an appetite this morning. I'm feeling very nervous about the reaping which has been looming over my head all week. I try to calm myself. The chances of getting chosen are next to nothing. My name will be inside the pot 4 times out of thousands. Yet there always is that slight chance that I would be this year's tribute. I try to imagine what it would be like to be in the Hunger Games. I know it must be terrifying knowing that you could be slaughtered at any moment. District 5 has only had 4 victors in the seventy three years the games have occurred. Our district specializes in mathematics so we aren't exactly experts on killing like Districts 1 and 2.

Suddenly my train of thought is broken when my monster of a headmistress trots up to me in a rather hostile manner. Oh no! What could she possibly want. "Miss Vulpes!" she barks. I have always thought she resembled some type of large primate. "Yes" I reply trying to sound as sweet and innocent as possible. "I have reason to believe that you have been swiping extra helpings of food!" she says accusingly. Oh damn it! I think. How could she have figured this out? When I steal I rarely get caught yet it appears this episode will be an exception. "I haven't stolen anything Mrs. Tripp. You must be getting me confused with someone else." "Oh really?" She holds up a photograph of me with a basket full of bread. Blast those stupid security cameras! "OOOh!" I say as if I have suddenly remembered something. "Professor Grey asked me to bring this bread to his classroom for a project we were working on!" Professor Grey is probably the oldest man in the entire galaxy. He has a dreadful memory and would probably not remember if he had asked me to do this or not. Mrs. Tripp eyed me suspiciously before finally saying "I'll let you off the hook this time Argent Vulpes but if I ever catch you in that kitchen again you will not eat for an entire week! Now you better go get ready for the reaping. It is only two hours away." Two hours! Time is flying this morning. I smile sweetly at the monster of a woman and then dart of back to my dormitory to find my friend Selene.

I find Selene getting dressed in the dormitory along with several other of my roommates. Selene is probably the only person in the world that I actually trust. We have been friends our entire lives and understand each other more than anyone could. Selene seems to be just as nervous as I am. "Are you nervous?" I ask casually. "No" she replies yet I know she is lying. Everyone is nervous on the morning of the reaping. "We better head down to the town square to get our names checked off. The reaping is only two hours away." This could be the last two hours I spend with Selene.

We walk back into the main hall and out into the street. The street is packed as it is every other day yet today is different. There is a different mood in the air. A somber and frightened one. It takes a little over twenty minutes to reach the town square. The school that we live in is on the far west side of town which cuts us off from the rest of the district. When we finally reach the town square a line has formed. Every teenager is going to have to wait in this line to get their name checked off for the reaping. The only reason they do this is to ensure that no one tries to skip out and not participate. One year a boy's name was drawn and he wasn't even there. The peacekeepers spent the entire day looking for him. He never participated in the games though because he was executed by the peacekeepers that afternoon. The nervous feeling begins to come back to me as I wait in line with Selene. I begin to think back to the dream I had this morning and wonder if it has anything to do with the Hunger Games.

"Selene" I blurt out suddenly. "What is it?" she asks. "I have a bad feeling about today. Something just doesn't feel right." I reply sheepishly. "Argent, we are all feeling nervous. You are definitely not alone." "But Selene I had this strange dream last night. It really shook me! I think it might be a sign that I will be in the Hunger Games" I say shrilly. I can see the doubt in her eyes. "Calm down Argy everything is going to be alright." She says as sympathetically as she can. Our turn in line finally has rolled up and I submit our names. "Argent Vulpes and Selene Bostic." The peacekeeper nods signaling he's got us. Selene and I make our way to the section labeled "FEMALE-15".

We have arrived early so Selene and I are given a chance to discuss my dream. I describe every detail of the nightmare as clearly as I can. "I have no idea what this could mean Argent but I'm guessing you are just feeling nervous." I sigh. She just doesn't understand.

After about forty minutes of waiting the ceremony begins. Seated on the stage are past victors of the Hunger Games, our district's mayor, and our district's escort Relp Stantov. Mr. Stantov is probably the most arrogant man on the face of the earth. He works for the capitol and is one of President Snow's most trusted advisors. Mr. Vanfleet, the mayor, signals for us to settle down. First the mayor reads a very long and boring speech about District 5. He reads this speech every year. I have never been able to actually listen to him though because I've always been so nervous. Why don't they just get the stupid thing over with I think. After the speech has finally been completely read Mr. Stantov takes the stand. "ahem, Welcome ladies and gentleman of district 5 to the 74th annual reaping." The crowd claps nervously not excited to be sending their children to a certain death. "You all are rather down for such an exciting day!" he says. I could have punched him. How dare he insult us. Today is not an "exciting" day and he will probably never understand that. "I am your district's escort Mr. Relp Stantov and I will select the two tributes from your district for the 74th annual Hunger Games!" He is acting way too excited for this somber occasion. "We will start with the female." he announces.

"The female tribute for district 5 will be……" He draws a slip of paper from the pot labeled "female". He examines the small piece of paper and then shouts "ARGENT VULPES!!!"

The audience hushes waiting for a response. All I can do is stand there looking stupidly at Relp Stantov. How? I think. There is no way I could have been chosen out of all of those names. Selene suddenly begins to sob snapping me back to life. My mind races as I think about what to do. I finally stumble up to the stage trying to look as strong as possible so I won't be an easy target during the games. "Any volunteers?" asks Mr. Stantov. The audience drops dead silence. There has never been someone to volunteer in District 5 in the seventy four years the games have been held. "Congratulations Argent! You are the female tribute for District 5!" The audience claps quietly looking up at me as if I was some kind of alien. They all know that I am going to die. I have to prove them wrong though so I glare at them as if I was made to kill.

Mr. Stantov has already moved on to the male tribute when my mind zaps back to him. "CELIVS VANFLEET!" he booms. Celvis. I try to remember who this is. Then it hits me. Celvis Vanfleet is the mayor's son! This is astonishing. I scan the crowd looking for him. I find him with that same look of horror on his face that I had just moments ago. I also observe the mayor's behavior. He doesn't appear to be handling this much better than his son. I can tell that he is trying to keep it together though. Celvis walks up to the stage in a zombie like fashion and stands to my right. No one volunteers for Celvis either yet the audience is still shocked that the mayor's own son has been chosen. If you are rich like Celvis obviously is you having basically no chance of getting selected because you don't have to sign up for tessarae. Celvis and I shake hands and the anthem begins to play.

At this point the mayor is supposed to give another speech yet he seems to be suffering from extreme shock and faints as soon as he stands up. This causes chaos in the audience. Celvis and I are immediately rushed to a building where we will say our final goodbyes. I have never seen a more beautiful building in my life. There are portraits everywhere of our district's past mayors. A large diamond chandelier hangs above us and velvet chairs that are placed on either side of the room. I am led to the one on the left and Celvis to the right.

My first visitor is Selene. Until now I have never realized how much I need her. I stare at her pale face for a moment before collapsing into her arms sobbing. I know I will never see her again. After a few minutes of crying I brush my bright red hair out of my eyes and listen to what she has to say. "Argent, if you are going to win this you have to use your brain." "I can't win Selene! I have zero chance. I have never even used any type of weapon." I cry at her. "You can outsmart them all." She whispers to me. "You are the smartest person I know." I am shocked. I have never really considered myself to be very smart. Sure, I'm good with numbers and logic yet I guess I have never really put much thought into this topic. This gives me a little bit of hope. "Selene, you are the only person in the world I truly care about. I trust you more than anyone and I promise that I will do everything in my power to come back. You are my best friend." I say to her sadly. Now Selene bursts into tears. "You're my best friend too Argent and I can't stand to…" but she never finishes her sentence because she is escorted out of the room by a peacekeeper. "No" I scream at him. "Let her stay!" The peacekeeper ignores me which only elevates my anger. I watch as Selene's frightened face disappears from my view and probably from my life. "Goodbye." I whisper.

I don't receive any more visitors which is not surprising at all. Celvis receives several visitors though which also doesn't surprise me based on the fact he is the mayor's son. After a long time of waiting Mr. Stantov collects Celvis and I.

This is the first time we've actually been able to talk to him alone. "Are you guys having a great day? I am in no mood to reply with a sarcastic remark so I just say "yeah"

"That's great!" he says enthusiastically. "We are leaving for the capitol soon by train. Here are your tickets." He hands us two tickets which both say Hunger Games Pass. Stantov continues to speak. "On the train you will meet the past Hunger Games victors who will help train you for the games." I stare down at the ticket. It might as well just say "ticket to death" on it.

Stantov takes us to the train. The train is magnificent. It is slender and elegant looking unlike the ones that deliver supplies from the other districts. Yet I know that its beauty is fatal. For it is just taking me closer to the capitol and closer to my death.


	2. Chapter 2 Hidden Potential

The Fox's Game

Chapter 2- Hidden Potential

**Thanks to everyone who read chapter 1 and That Funky Chick Next Door who was the first to review this story! Please tell me if you think I should write another chapter!**

I watch District 5 disappear out a window as the train begins to speed away from the station. I have been given my own chamber within the train and it is the fanciest place I have ever been in my life. It has a gorgeous bed with silk blankets and golden patterns around the edges. The room also has a private bathroom if you could call it that. I peeked inside and it looked more like a control room than a bathroom. There were buttons and levers everywhere that I have no idea how to use.

The room has not lifted my spirits though. I still have not forgotten where I am headed. I can't let the capitol trick me into thinking this is some kind of luxurious vacation.

My mind begins to drift back to Selene and the rest of my District. I remember Selene's face as she disappeared from my view. Such a sad and beautiful face.

Finally my emotions get the better of me. I collapse onto my bed sobbing for several reasons. For Selene, for my own sake, and for my extreme anger at the capitol. I eventually doze off and stay asleep for at least three hours.

I am woken by Relp Stantov. He bursts into my room and looks down at me on the bed. I hope he doesn't realize I've been crying. "Why haven't you changed Argent? Aren't the clothes in your closet more exciting than yours?" he asks. I glare at him. "Exciting has never really been my forte Mr. Stantov." I say coldly. "Ecspecially now that I am being shipped off to my grave." Stantov looks down at me as if I was a small child. "C'mon Argent! You'll do great if you can just think positively." I know what he said is unlikely but I nod at him as if I truly believe him. "Now why don't you change out of those filthy clothes and come down to the dining hall for dinner." He leaves the room smiling like some kind of idiot.

I stand up and walk to the closet. I am horrified to find six rows of clothing lined up inside. I study the dresses carefully. Many of them are way too extravagant. Some of them even gleam, change colors, and sparkle. I finally pick out a modest looking red dress which I think compliments my hair. I depart from my room and walk toward the dining hall cautiously.

I find Relp Stantov at a large table laughing with the two living Hunger Games victors whose names I can not remember. Celvis is also at the table yet appears to be in a much gloomier mood than the adults. "Ahh, look who's decided to come out of her den!" says Stantov. "You look fabulous Argent!" says an elderly man sitting to the left of Stantov. "Thank you." I say as I take a seat beside Celvis. "Argent, I would like you to meet your mentors Reavis and Vilga." Reavis is the older looking man who complimented me. Vilga on the other hand is a terrifying woman. I remember the year she won. She was much larger than all the other tributes and took out at least seven of them within the first day. The very sight of her frightens me. "It's nice to meet you." I say. "The same to you." Says Reavis politely. Reavis seems like such a nice old man. I wonder how he won the games. I'm sure he couldn't have killed too many people.

When I look down at the food my heart leaps. I have never seen such a meal. My glass has been filled with reddish liquid they call wine. I have some type of pork on my plate which is a first. I have never had meat in my life. My plate is also piled with steaming vegetables, rolls, and pastries. My stomach is a little queasy yet I try to eat as much as I can. All the food is extremely delicious except the wine makes me a little uneasy. Celvis seems pretty used to the food. Since he lives in a wealthy family he is able to afford this type of food. I notice that Vilga wolfs down her food like some kind of animal. I shiver just watching her devour the food at an alarmingly fast rate.

After everyone has finished the majority of their food a large screen suddenly lights up and announces that all the reapings have occurred and repeats of them will be played momentarily. This will be extremely important for me to watch based on the fact that my competitors will be revealed during this.

The first reaping shown is District 1. A gorgeous blond girl is chosen along with a tall strong looking boy who volunteers. District 1 always has some of the best tributes along with Districts 2 and 4. District 2 has even fiercer looking tributes. Both of them volunteer. The girl has dark hair and appears to be a good six inches taller than me. The boy is shorter than District 1's boy but he appears to be much stronger and tougher. I grimace at how ready he appears to be killing helpless teenagers in the arena. District 3 has puny looking tributes and 4 has about average looking tributes for careers. Next, I am up. I am amazed at how I look. I have this sly look on my face that makes me look like I am holding some evil secret that will help me win the games. Celvis on the other hand looks pathetic when he walks on stage. He keeps looking at his father as if saying "Get me out of this!" Districts 6-9 don't have anyone that looks too threatening. District 10 has a boy with a crippled leg. Ouch! I think. He definitely will not make it very far. An older looking girl with black hair is chosen from District 10 as well. I am surprised when a twelve year old girl is chosen from 11. This is very sad. I doubt she will make it very far at all unlike the monster that is chosen as the male tribute from her District. In District 12's reaping a girl volunteers for her younger sister. I wish I had an older sister who loved me that much. I sigh enviously as the last tribute is chosen and the screen cuts off.

After a moment of silence Mr. Stantov says "So that's your competition? Pathetic!" I glare at him. "Are you kidding? Did you not see those tributes from District 2?" I say angrily. Celvis looks rather sickly after watching the reaping. I wish that I could reassure him that everything was going to be alright but in a few days I might have to kill him so I don't say anything.

"We will reach the capitol tonight." Stantov says rather suddenly. "In the morning you will meet your stylists who will help prepare you for the opening ceremony." I had completely forgotten about the ceremony! During the opening ceremony all the tributes come out in fancy outfits and parade around for everyone to admire. I wonder what I will have to wear.

I look away from Stantov to find Vilga staring at me. "I need to find out more about you Argent" she says in a low voice. "I can sense you have some kind of hidden potential that we need to explore before the games. Trust me Argent, I can help you." I have no idea what she means by hidden potential yet I do believe that she is genuinely trying to help me. "I will begin training you this week." She says. "You have a chance Argent. I can feel it." She looks deeply into my eyes as if she was trying to find something. An awkward silence follows. Everyone is staring at me.

Reavis finally breaks the silence. "Don't worry Celvis!" he says sympathetically. I had completely forgotten about Celvis. I suddenly realize that he is crying. "I'm going to die." He says weakly. "Not if I train you!" Reavis says obviously trying to lift Celvis' spirits. I can't take all this emotion at once. "I'm going to my room." I say anxiously. I leave the Dining Hall. I can still hear Celvis' sobs as a quickly walk back to my room.

I throw myself onto my beautiful bed and begin to think about all that has happened today. Gosh! I think. Just this morning I was tucked safely in my bed at the academy and now I am speeding to the capitol by train.

I consider what Vilga said about my "hidden potential". What could she have been thinking? After seeing that sly grin on my face she probably thinks I'm more demented than I actually am. An idea pops into my head. I can use this sly and cunning persona to make everyone think I have some kind of hidden potential. If Vilga thinks I might be hiding something than the rest of Panem might too. I smile to myself and silently thank Selene for my strategy. Outsmarting them all. Maybe I am rather clever after all.

I must have fallen asleep at some point in the night because I find myself waking up to the sun shining. The train is not moving so I assume that we are at the capitol. My thought is confirmed when I look out the window. The capitol is truly magnificent. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The buildings stretch far over the horizon. The sun reflects off the buildings and makes them look like they are glowing.

Several people are gathered around the train. They know that this is a tribute train and that we will be coming out into the open soon to go to our stylists. The people are wearing the most bizarre things. Most of them have dyed their hair some unnatural color and are wearing clothes to match it.

Suddenly I hear Relp Stantov's voice "Rise and shine! It is time for an exciting day people." I open my door and look at him. "Good morning Argent" he says. "You need to clean up and get dressed so we can meet up with your stylists!" "Thanks" I say almost sarcastically. "We're eating breakfast in thirty minutes." He adds. "Today is going to be sooo…" I cut him off. "I know, it's going to be fantastic." I say using an artificially sweet voice.

I slam the door in his face and head into the bathroom. I examine all of the buttons carefully. After playing around with them for a minute I figure out how to work the shower. I bathe rather quickly not wanting to be late. I dry myself off and put on the purple tunic that was laid on my dresser and report to the dining hall.

I find that I am the last person to arrive again. I try to smile at Celvis weakly because I know this must be way tougher for him than it is for me. He tries to return the smile but he still does not look like he has completely recovered from last night's episode.

Breakfast is just as extravagant as the dinner we had last night. I am feeling better this morning though and I eat a whole lot more. Stantov begins to speak to Celvis and me. "After you're finished eating we are going to exit the train. There will be a lot of people out there. Try to smile and give yourself a good reputation." He says "After that you will be taken to your stylists. Alright?" We both nod.

I figure this will be a perfect time to begin my strategy. After we finish eating we stand up and follow Stantov, Reavis, and Vilga to a large door. Stantov presses a button which causes the door to slowly rise up. I put on my sly grin and prepare to make the capitol think I have hidden potential.


	3. Chapter 3 Opening Ceremony

The Fox's Game

Chapter 3- Opening Ceremony

**I have finally finished Chapter 3! It is the shortest so far yet it took the longest. Thanks to Ryah117, cashia702, and Montague Disciple for reviewing. Your reviews really helped me to continue! Everyone please continue to read and review!**

The crowd simply adores us. They stare up at Celvis and me and cheer out our names like we are celebrities. I guess we sort of are until we are slaughtered in the arena. It feels rather strange to be up in front of the people who will watch you die.

A group of peacekeepers marches out and surrounds us so that no one can get in… or out. We are led into a sparkling dome building that has the words "Remake Center" written in large letters over the door. I've watched tributes in the past walk through this door yet I have never actually seen the inside. I wonder what my stylist will make me wear. I also wonder what types of horrors I will have to go through in order to make myself look attractive. I begin to feel rather nervous as we walk through a revolving door and into the building. The inside is chaos. Several people who I assume to be stylists are running in and out of the twelve hallways lined up against the wall. They rush around the room holding all types of fabric, instruments, and makeup that they might need for their tribute. I try not to laugh at the scene they are causing as Celvis and I are led into the fifth hallway.

Several of the most famous costumes worn by District 5 tributes in the past are displayed in large glass display windows throughout the hall. Many of them connect to mathematics somehow. Since our District specializes in math our Opening Ceremony attire usually has something to do with it. I would think that math would be rather hard to illustrate in clothing but the stylists always find a way. For instance, many of the costumes have patterns or shapes on them.

Celvis and I are separated through two separate doors, but Vilga enters the room with me which makes me feel a little less nervous. I am surprised to find 3 women inside the room. "Are you my stylists?" I ask obviously confused. They all laugh at me which annoys me slightly. "Of course not!" the largest woman retorts in her strange capitol accent. "We are your prep team! We prepare you for your stylist!"

They women yank me onto a large platform and begin to remove my clothes. They scrutinize my naked body as if I was some kind of animal in a zoo. It is rather awkward to stand there in front of them without any clothes. "Oh, I love her hair!!!" Says a woman with greenish hair who I think they called Hexy. What a name! "Oh yes! I agree but she is much too thin!" They all agree in unison. I blush deeply as they stare at my emaciated body.

"Yes, but we can fix this problem easily!" says Hexy in a cheerful voice. The women immediately begin measuring my body. After they have measured every part of my body known to man, they begin to rip stray hairs off of my body. It hurts very badly, but I try not to show any emotion which is something that I am very good at doing. They also spread all types of strange creams all over my body which do all sorts of different things. They curl my red hair with a strange iron and then fluff it until I look like a poodle. I feel like some doll that is being groomed by three rather plump girls.

After my prep team has tortured me with every single grooming technique possible, they finally declare me "beautiful". They seem very excited that they get to call my stylist. They call him over an intercom and use girlish voices as they talk to him. I think I heard one of them call him Loroc.

Loroc arrives in less than five minutes. Loroc is a very tall and skinny man. His hair has been dyed purple and he is dressed very like the people who I saw outside the train station. I hope he hasn't made my costume too hideous. The prep team stands behind him and stares at him longingly "Hello Argent." He says in a deep voice. "I am your stylist, Loroc!" "Hi" wondering how the prep team could be attracted to this odd looking man. He examines me just like the prep team did which I have become rather used to by now. After he has looked at me for about five minutes his face lights up in a smile. "You are going to look fabulous Argent!"

Before I can reply he claps his hands twice and barks "Bring me her costume!" The prep team lunges out excitedly holding what appears to be my costume. It is a long green dress with a strange pattern made from rubies. The prep team pulls the dress over my head and step back to examine their work. It is a relief to finally be wearing clothes again. I can tell from the looks on everyone's faces that I must look at least half decent.

"What do the rubies represent?" I ask snapping them back to life. "These rubies are arranged in the in the Fibonacci sequence!" Loroc says proudly. Oh yes the Fibonacci sequence! It is a mathematical pattern in which a number in the pattern is equal to the sum of the two prior numbers. "Interesting!" I say quietly.

Loroc beams at me as he helps me down from the platform and guides me over to a large mirror. Who I see in the mirror is an entirely different person than myself. I look so amazing that I can hardly recognize myself. I appear to be much older and sophisticated than I really am. I continue to look at my reflection as the prep team does some final touches with makeup.

Vilga trots up to me now that I am completely finished. She nods in approval at my stunning appearance. "The opening ceremony will start in about an hour." She says. "You need to try and look personable during the ceremony so you can win sponsors over for the games! This will be the only time you will be able to actually impress them in public other than your interview. Everything else depends on your training score!" I love how completely focused Vilga always is on the games. "I'll try to make a good impression!" I say reassuringly.

Vilga leads me out of the styling room and down a long corridor. We find Celvis and Reavis waiting for us. Celvis is dressed in a darker shade of green than me yet he also has the Fibonacci sequence extending down his suit. His skin is turning an odd shade of green which almost matches his suit. I know that he is probably much more worried about the opening ceremony than I am. I begin to observe our surroundings. We appear to be in some kind of fancy barn. Twelve chariots are lined up facing toward a giant bronze door. Each chariot has four horses leading it. Our chariot appears to have grey horses leading it.

Vilga helps us onto our carriage where a large velvet couch has been placed. I sit down on the couch which is actually quite comfortable. I watch in front of us as the tributes from District 4 exit the Remake Center and leap onto their chariot without any help. It is rather frightening seeing them in real life. They looked much smaller on that television screen.

Celvis and I sit in our chariot for about 45 minutes watching other tributes board their own chariots. Finally a whistle sounds announcing the start of the ceremony. The large bronze door opens slowly and District 1's chariot begins to move out into the open.

Their tributes are wearing beautiful white tunics with precious gems lining every aspect of the costume. The audience cheers their names excitedly. "Glimmer!" "Sprint!" Interesting names! District 1 has always been famous for having the most extravagant names.

The next three chariots pull out of the barn. The only one that makes a lasting impression on me is District 2. Their tributes are very savage looking. I remember them being the most intimidating during the Reapings too. Our carriage abruptly begins to move as the horses slowly trot onto the road. Celvis appears to be petrified by all the people in the crowd. I hold up much better against them. I give them my famous sly grin and wave. They cheer loudly and some people even throw flowers. I like all of the attention but I know that if I screw up this act even once I could ruin my entire reputation. We roll on after the other chariots. I continue to wave as we get farther along in the parade yet the audience seems to be distracted.

I look back and begin to panic when I see District 12. They are on fire. My panic turns into jealously when I realize they are not burning to death. Their costumes seem to have been designed for this. They look truly amazing. The audience screams their names. "Katniss!" "Peeta!" I am so angry that I forget to hold up my sly and elusive act. District 12 is getting all of the attention. The only reason this bugs me is because they are probably being watched by every single sponsor out there. Sponsors can help you greatly in the arena and I am really going to need them if I am going to win this. District 12 has only won the games like once in the entire history of the games and I don't expect this year to be any different. They are just getting the crowd's hopes up for nothing.

My attention focuses back on the task at hand and I turn back to the audience and try to win back their attention by waving violently. I notice that we are almost at the city circle. The city circle is where the President gives his speech and the anthem plays. The chariots roll across the road and line up in the city circle.

The President who is a tall, thin man with white hair begins his speech. The cameras pan around all of the tributes as he says his speech yet I am annoyed to see on the large screen hanging above me that District 12 is getting way more publicity than the rest of us.

The anthem begins to play and our chariots begin to roll toward a very tall building which must be the famous Training Center. The ceremony is almost over. I know that I have failed in winning sponsors over. District 12's act just couldn't be matched. When we reach the building the chariots enter a large vault. I find Loroc and Celvis' stylist waiting for us. They seem to be just as annoyed as I am as they help us down from our chariot.

I watch the girl from District 2 as District 12's chariot pulls up. "They are the first to go!" she says angrily to the boy from her District. "I agree Clove! They will suffer for trying to out do us!" They snicker wickedly and follow their stylists into the building. I definitely don't want to get on their bad side! It appears that they have already formed a career alliance for the games.

Loroc leads Celvis and I to a strange thing he calls an "elevator". The elevator moves between floors so that people can easily get up and down faster. I have never experienced something like it! It is Fascinating!

We are taken to the 5th floor where Stantov is waiting for us. "You looked amazing!" he says. "Not as amazing as District 12 did." Says Celvis sadly. Poor Celvis, he always seems so upset. "Oh c'mon, they were nowhere as good…." "Oh save it Stantov" I cut in. Stantov dismisses my comment "Your rooms are at the end of this hall." He says pointing. "Go take a shower and meet me back here in thirty minutes for dinner!" I leave for my room quietly thinking about what I heard Clove saying. I may be jealous of Katniss and Peeta but I don't want them dead like she and her partner obviously do. I know that it is only the inevitable in the arena.


	4. Chapter 4 Tactics and Training

The Fox's Game

Chapter 4-Tactics and Training

**I'm sorry there hasn't been an update in a while. I am at the beach this week and my internet connection doesn't always work here. Thanks to Funky Chick Next Door, cashia702, Montague Disciple, and Ryah117 who all reviewed the last chapter! Your reviews have truly inspired me to keep going. You all are the best. I hope more people will review this one. I know a lot of people are reading and just don't review. I have allowed anonymous reviews so everyone should be able to. Thanks for all your support! This is the longest one yet so enjoy!**

Dinner passed by rather uneventfully last night. I did realize that today is my first day of training though which startled me. The games are approaching way too fast. During training I will learn different survival and weaponry skills that will help during the games. The other tributes will be there as well. I don't like being around them because they intimidate them. One of them will probably be my killer.

On a lighter note, I have been given a fabulous room. It is similar to the chamber I had on the train yet it is much larger. It has a bigger bed and much larger variety of clothes. This room even has precious gems and jewels on different pieces of furniture. I almost decide to revert back to my old habit of stealing but I decide I wouldn't be able to use them for anything. I didn't realize everything in the capitol was so fancy. I guess I thought everywhere was like District 5. I never really considered what other places might be like.

I stare up at the canopy above my bed for a minute. I'm very tired but I can't fall back asleep. Sleeping has become much more difficult during the last couple of nights. I eventually decide to get up and see who else is awake. I sluggishly get out of the luxurious king sized bed and head for a shower.

I put on the crimson colored tunic which has been laid out for me and head down the hall. The only person I find awake is Vilga who appears to be wide awake unlike me. I wonder if she ever sleeps. "Good morning." she says rather expressionless. I try to smile at her. Smiling has become rather difficult because I don't really feel happy about the Hunger Games. Vilga has been my favorite person I've met here so far though. I believe that she wants to help me.

I take a seat at the table with Vilga and sit quietly for a few minutes. Vilga eventually breaks the silence. "We need to work on your strategy Argent. We need to figure out what will keep you alive in that arena." she says in a serious tone. I really have not put much thought into my strategy yet but I know it is something I should definitely work on. "I don't really know what my strategy will be Vilga." I say embarassed. "I haven't got any sort of skills that will help me. I tried to win sponsors over by acting cunning and clever but that failed thanks to District 12." I say. "It does not matter if you you succeed or fail." Vilga says in a serious voice. "I don't think that anyone could have brought down District 12's act."

We sit there quietly for a minute reflecting on last night's opening ceremony. "I have training today." I say in a monotonous voice stating the obvious. "Yes" Vilga says "Training is a very important time for you to learn the many vital skills you need for the Hunger Games" I stare at her for a second thinking about my approach to training. "Vilga," I say slowly. "What if I didn't just train during the training session? What if I did something else that might help me even more?" "Like what?" she asks. I smile at her slyly rather impressed by my new plan. "I could spy on all of the other tributes. I could learn their strengths and weaknesses so I could almost manipulate them in the arena!"

Vilga seems impressed and skeptical and the same time. "That does seem like a good plan."she says slowly "but you need to focus more on learning new helpful skills." "I can do both! I can handle doing two things at once." I say as confidently as I've been since the reaping. "Alright" says Vilga "but if this tribute spying idea distracts you from learning skills then stop at once." I nod doubting that this could possibly distract me from learning stupid things like rope tying.

An Avox suddenly walks into the room carrying several trays which breaks Vilga and I's conversation. He lays our breakfast down on the table and gives a fancy little bow before darting out the door. I stare down at the food in front of me. It looks so delicious! Right now I have every type of food I could ever want at my finger tips but in one week I will have to find my own food. I might even be dead. I shiver at the thought. I guess I really shouldn't get too used to gorging myself at mealtimes or I will pay a major price in the arena. If I get used to feeling hungry it won't be so bad for me. I know I can't completely stop eating but I should at least try to cut down on the amount of food I consume.

Celvis must have arrived during my odd thought about food. I notice that he is wolfing down food like an animal. I sigh. He just doesn't understand how important food is.

After we have all finished breakfast it is about 9:00. Training starts at ten but Vilga says we should try to arrive early. The actual training center is below the ground floor. Celvis and I are are sent down by ourselves about which he is very nervous about. "What if we get lost?" he asks like a small child. "How could we get lost going down six floors in an elevator?" I ask him rather sarcastically. I press the button and the elevator drops down 6 floors. I feel bad for being so mean to Celvis so I try to comfort him by patting his back. He reminds me so much of a small child. He is older than me yet acts much less mature. The elevator door opens to a very large gymnasium which has several stations lined up everywhere around the room. Each station focuses on a specific skill such as shelter building or camouflage.

There is only one other pair of tributes in the room. I recognize them as District 10 as soon as I see the crippled boy. The older girl with dark hair from his District glares at me from across the room. What did I ever do to her? I can't remember either of their names. In fact the only tributes I know by name are the ones from Districts 1, 12 and the girl from 2- Sprint, Glimmer, Clove, Peeta, and Katniss.

Other tributes begin to arrive shortly after us. I notice that almost all of the tributes are taller than me excluding the twelve year old from District 11. A trainer is pinning District numbers on all of the tributes. He pins a large black "5" of the back of my tunic. The tributes from District 12 tributes arrive last. I notice that they are the only ones dressed alike in the entire gymnasium. A woman named Atala begins to speak to us about training. She looks very similar to Vilga and I wouldn't be surprised if they were related somehow. I find it very difficult to concentrate on what she is saying. My attention is wandering to all the tributes gathered around me. I recognize them all from the reapings.

She finally releases us to the stations. I have no idea what to start with. I head over to knife throwing because it appears to be empty at the time. I realize this was a huge mistake when the tributes from District 4 suddenly pounce on me. They are two of the careers! I begin to panic but I don't give them the satisfaction of showing it. "Oh, would you like to join us in knife throwing" the boy asks with an evil smile. "Yes we have plenty of room!" the girl says says with a sharp laugh. She hurls a knife at the dummy that has been placed in front of us as a target. The knife shoots right through the dummy's head. I glare at her. She holds a particularly sharp knife up to my chest. "I'll kill you District 5." she says with a deranged look on her face. The boy laughs. "Don't worry" he says "We'll make sure we give the capitol a show."

I dart away from them as fast as I can. Great! I've already made myself a target to some of the most powerful tributes in the game. I decide to head over to the climbing wall. It looks fairly safe. I join in with the boy from District 8. A short, wiry man is explaining climbing to us and appears to be thrilled at having two tributes at a time at the wall. I have never climbed anything but the large tree that was outside of the academy. I was actually fairly good at it. I climbed higher than most of the girls could. The trainer finally releases us onto the wall as he pulls out a a timer. "Ready, Set....Go!" I race up the wall past the boy from District 8. I easily maneuver myself around the many obstacles that have been placed on the wall. I reach the top before the boy can make it half way. The trainer seems impressed. My small build probably helped me some. Being small is actually an advantage in climbing.

"32.8 seconds" the trainer says. "Great Job!". I smile at him and make my way to the next station.

The rest of the day goes by with me trying different types of survival skills. I wouldn't dare touch the weapons until the careers have decided they can stop showing off their skills. I do learn many important skills though such as starting fires, purifying water, and identifying edible plants. Whenever I have a chance I watch other tributes. I pay close attention to the careers. I learn their names, memorize their skills, and determine their weaknesses. I have learned much. The boys from Districts 2 and 4, Cato and Courto, and both good with spears. Sprint from District 1 is alright with a mace and Clove is excellent at throwing knives. Glimmer's strength appears to be her beauty. She is decent with the weapons but what really is giving her a leg up is her undeniably gorgeous appearance. Sponsors always seem to be bias to the most attractive tributes. All of this information will be very important to me in the near future.

Lunch finally arrives at around one or two o'clock. The trainers lead us out of the training center and into a large cafeteria. A large buffet of food is lined against the wall containing any food you could possibly imagine. I try to follow my new rule about food. I only get a small sandwich and a salad. I look around for a seat. The careers seem to have assembled around one table yet everyone else appears to be alone. I find a table by myself as far away from the careers as I can get. Just when I am about to take a bite from my sandwich I hear laughter from behind me. I turn around slowly to see the tributes from District 12. I realize that they are the only ones sitting together in the whole cafeteria other than the careers. I turn back to my lunch yet I listen intensely to what they are saying. "Alright I'll keep smiling pleasantly and you talk." says the boy whom I have memorized as Peeta by now. So they are trying to trick everyone! They want everyone to think they are close friends for some reason. This might be an effective strategy in pulling off sponsors but I could never do it. The thought of talking to Celvis like I am his friend just wouldn't fit in this situation.

We return back to training at about 2:30. I have tried a fair number of stations but I really want to try the weapons. I glance over cautiously at their location. I find that they are all career free. Excellent! I can finally try them out. I slink over carefully to the station where I was attacked by District 4 this morning, knife throwing. I pick up an evil looking blade with a black handle. I grip the handle tightly and aim carefully for the dummy's vital areas. I send the knife spinning at the dummy. It pins the dummy in the leg. Not bad for my first try! I continue this for a few minutes until I consider myself to be an adequate knife thrower. It would be great to get my hands on one of these in the arena yet I know it would be way too difficult. I have no intention of fighting off the careers at the bloodbath!

So I continue this routine for the next two days until I have sampled every station available. I continue to watch the other tributes. Learning their names skills, and weaknesses. One tribute that has surprised me is the girl from District 11. Even though she is smaller than me she has some pretty impressive skills. She never misses with a slingshot, and she can climb better than any tribute here. Her name is Rue.

Each day when I return from training I am bombarded with questions from Vilga and Stantov yet I am too tired to answer them. I sleep like a baby at night after training. Training takes a major toll on me. I am exhausted every day when I return home. At least it shows that I am working hard to accomplish these important skills.

The third day of training is the most important. After lunch each tribute gets to have their own private training session. I still am clueless as to what I will show them during my session. I know that I am probably not the best at any of the stations but I am at least average at most. I guess I will show them my climbing skills first. That seemed to stand out as one of my best stations. I was also alright at fire starting and setting traps. I guess I'll start out with those three. If there was some kind of intelligence or strategizing station that would be my best station but unfortunately those would be rather hard to make into stations.

The morning of the third day goes like all the others. We still stay in the normal routine of alternating stations. I can tell that everyone is focused on their best skills though. They are trying to practice before their private training session. I do the exact opposite and practice stations that I still have not tried. I believe that I am okay at all of the stations then excluding strength stations like wrestling and hand to hand combat. I begin to feel rather nervous as I finish up rope tying and we are called for lunch. I don't like performing in front of people but I know this will be different. My life may depend on this performance so I must make a good impression.

Lunch passes by way too fast. Even though I try to slow down time by eating as little as possible. Before I know it they are calling "Sprint Trevada" from District 1. One by one the tributes disappear from the cafeteria. They don't return afterwards so I assume that they are being sent back to their home floor. As each tributes leaves I become more and more nervous. By the time they are calling "Celvis Vanfleet" my legs are shaking violently. I try to calm myself down by taking deep breaths and thinking logically that everything will be alright.

After about five minutes of dreading what is to come by name is called. "Argent Vulpes" a short woman calls in her capitol accent. I automatically stand up and walk shakily towards the Training Center. I look up at the Gamemakers when I enter the gymnasium. They are all talking quietly to each other obviously trying to decide on a score for Celvis. I hope I can at least outscore Celvis. I think it would be rather embarrassing after his childish episode the other night.

I immediately make my way for the climbing wall knowing that it has the best chance of impressing the Gamemakers. I shoot up the wall just like I did on the the first day of training. I look to see that only a few of the Gamemakers are timing me. Most just sit there and watch me like the stupid lazy toads they are. They don't seem to be impressed. I jump off the wall. I decide to go with my plan and do fire starting and setting traps. My fire sparks up rather nicely and I make a very lethal looking trap out of the materials provided yet this seems to bore them even more. I break into a light sweat. Don't panic! I tell myself. I suddenly get an idea. Impulsively I glance over at the knife throwing station. This will be extremely risky but it might just get the Gamemakers attention. I decide it's worth the risk. I bite my lip and walk over to it slowly. I pick up a knife and aim it just like I did two days ago. It misses! I begin to sweat heavier as I pick up a second knife. This one hits the dummy in the shoulder. I give a sigh of relief. At least I was able to hit the dummy. I throw three more knives which all stick the dummy somewhere before I am satisfied with my performance. An elderly gamemaker nods at the door signaling my dismissal. I walk out of the room steadily, hoping with all my heart that I didn't just guarantee my death.


	5. Chapter 5 Mystery

The Fox's Game

Chapter 5-Mystery

**I am sorry I am the slowest updater in the history of the galaxy. It takes me at least a week to write each chapter but this one took longer for some reason. Thanks to my reviewers That Funky Chick Next Door and Montague Disciple who are both fantastic! Both of you help me to continue this story. Alright, once again I've broken my own personal record for longest chapter! I hope everyone enjoys it! Pleas leave a review and tell me if you do. I accept criticism heartily because it helps me fix mistakes for my future chapters. **

I go into deep thought as I travel back to District 5's floor from training. I know that the Gamemakers were not entirely impressed by my training session. There's not really much you can impress them when you follow up the careers. The careers probably showed the Gamemakers things I couldn't even dream of. Following up their acts probably wasn't the best thing for me.

I reach my floor and prepare to be attacked by Vilga about Training. Sure enough she's waiting for me at the elevator door with an anxious look on her face. Obviously she's very excited to hear what happened.

"Well…." I say. "The Gamemakers didn't seem entirely impressed." Vilga frowns at me confused.

"What happened?"she asks.

"I showed them everything I was good at but it still wasn't enough." I sigh deeply and walk past Vilga to head to my room. I sit on my bed for a few hours thinking about how hopeless this situation is. I know there is no way I can win the Hunger Games. I am just not skilled enough. All my efforts to strategize and plan will be useless once my horrible training score is revealed. I think about Selene back in District 5. I wonder how she is handling this whole situation. I wish I could be there to comfort her, but I know I will probably never see her again.

I am beyond tears at this point, so I just stare at the wall blankly until Stantov calls me for the scores to be revealed. I hurry into the lounging area. Each tribute is scored on a scale from 1-12. A twelve would be the best score and one would be the worst. I walk into the room just as a 9 flashes on the screen for Sprint. Careers typically do get the highest scores ranging from about eight to ten. I am surprised when Glimmer only scores a seven. I don't think that she volunteered for the games which is probably one of the reasons she hasn't done so great so far. I begin to bite my fingernails as both Cato and Clove score tens. They definitely are the most intimidating tributes. The scores continue to flash up. District 3 gets fairly low scores and District 4 pulls off an eight and nine. Celvis is up next. His face flashes on the screen beside the number four. His face turns bright red when he sees his own score. Once again Celvis has managed to win over my sympathy. He has just been so unlucky the past couple of days. I inhale deeply as Celvis disappears. I prepare for the worst. My face suddenly pops up beside a seven. A seven! How could I have done so well? I scored the same as a career!

Everyone in the room cheers and congratulates me on my score. Vilga gives me a knowing smile.

"I knew you would do great!" she says proudly. I am confused. I thought the Gamemakers were bored by my performance. I was expecting a five or six, but never a seven.

The shock of the moment has distracted me and I missed District 6 and 7s scores. I look up as the boy from 8 who I raced up the climbing wall scores a 3. The female from his District scores a 4. Yikes! They did worse than District 3. District 9 score as poorly as 8. The crippled boy scores a 6 and the dark haired girl scores a 5. The dark haired girl frightens me in a way. She always looks angry for some reason. The monster from 11 scores a 10 and little Rue scores a 7. I knew Rue could pull off a good score. I am rather annoyed when Peeta from District 12 scores an eight. That is a pretty good score, and based on the fact he was able to get the audience's attention at the ceremony, he will be a favorite. I am hoping that Katniss will get a low score and crush everything the audience remembered about her. My hopes are demolished when an eleven pops on the screen for her. An Eleven! Gosh! That's the highest score! Everyone stares in horror at her smiling face as the scoring program ends.

Now I am really put out with District 12. They have probably managed to singlehandedly destroy any other tributes' chances of getting a sponsor. I cannot even describe the hatred I am feeling. I sit there enviously as Stantov cuts off the television. I planned, strategized, and spied but it still wasn't enough. District 12 has ruined everything. I give a small sigh of defeat and head to my room without dinner. I feel too depressed to eat.

I lay in my bed trying to fall asleep but I can't. All I can think of is that eleven that was beside Katniss Everdeen's face. What could she possibly have done to impress the Gamemakers?

My mind begins to drift to tomorrows events. I think I will begin training for my interview which will take place two nights from now. In the interview, each tribute must stand in front of every person in Panem and answer ridiculous questions that Caesar Flickerman asks. He has been the host for longer than I can remember and always wears the most repulsive clothing. Last year he wore an odd kind of makeup that made him look like he was bleeding. I begin to think about how I will attempt my interview, but I suddenly realize that it is useless. District 12 will find a way to crush any attempt I make at picking up sponsors. I lay there in my hopeless and depressed state for a few more minutes before finally falling into a restless sleep.

The sunlight pierces through my window waking me up the next morning. I squint my eyes and hop out of bed to close the stupid blinds. By force of habit I take a shower and get dressed... I know today will be different than the last few days though. I'm sure my mentors will expose me to new horrors which probably have something to do with my interview tomorrow. Sure enough when I walk into the big dining area I find Relp Stantov holding a pair of high heeled shoes and a small handbook labeled 'The Proper Posture'. He shakes it readily in my face. I groan. Today is going to be a very bad day.

Just as I figured Stantov lectures me about every aspect of the interview as I warily eat my breakfast. He tells me that he will help me with stance and posture while Vilga will help with my personality. At least I won't have to stay with Stantov all day. As soon as I finish of the delicious plate of eggs, I am whisked into a strangely empty room with Stantov.

"Alright" Stantov says cheerfully. "Let's see that wonderful smile of yours."

"You think my smile is wonderful?" I ask with a sarcastic laugh. He nods and begins to grin profusely. I try to copy the odd grin on his face but I'm sure that I must look extremely stupid. Stantov shakes his head.

"Like this" he says gently. I roll my eyes and once again attempt to master Stantov's smile.

The next couple of hours pass like this. Stantov tries to teach me all kinds of strange things like sitting up straight and wearing high heeled shoes. I try to keep my attention focused, but it is really hard to do with Stantov grinning like a psycho. I perfect these skills more quickly than I expected, but I am obviously not a natural. I am relived when Reavis finally knocks on the door with Celvis.

"It's time to switch." He says. Reavis has worked mostly with Celvis so far and Vilga with me so I am assuming that Celvis was trained for his interview by Reavis instead of Vilga. I fly past Celvis out of Stantov's room and zip down to the lounging area. Vilga is seated in a large and comfy looking armchair. She is holding a large book that is titled 'Interview Questions'. I sit down in the chair across from her and focus all of my attention on her.

"I am going to try and help you find a good angle for your interview." She says.

"I know." I reply bluntly.

"We'll start with you answering these questions as honestly as you can, then I might be able to identify what your personality is." She says in a low voice. She opens the book and reads the first question.

"How have you liked the capitol so far?" She told me to reply honestly, but I think my answer would be too rebellious to say out loud.

"The capitol is a very intriguing place." I say. "I have enjoyed learning all about the culture of the people here. It is not at all like District 5. I really would like to learn more about it." I feel very satisfied with my answer but Vilga is obviously not.

"Don't be so elusive!" she says sternly. "Be very specific." The next few questions go the same. Vilga tells me that I'm being to vague and elusive. I begin to feel slightly annoyed after Vilga cuts me down for like the fourth time.

"Did you have any friends back in District 5?" Vilga asks.

"Yes." I say in a very serious voice. "I had one friend back in the academy that I miss very much. I trust her more than any person in the entire world. She was my life up till now." I say sadly. My moment of emotion is broken off by Vilga.

"Argent, you need to…."

"I know! I need to tell more." I say cutting her off. "I might as well just present myself as elusive Argent for my real interview." I say sarcastically. Vilga opens her mouth then closes it. She stares at me for a moment thoughtfully.

"Wait, you didn't take me seriously did you?" I ask Vilga guiltily.

"Well…" she says slowly. "It would fit in just right with the image you've given yourself so far. I am guessing that you wouldn't look vague to the audience. They would probably see you as sly and mysterious." I think about this for a moment. I realize that she is probably right. It fits perfectly with everything I've stood with so far. Trying to act sly and cunning in front of people really has benefited me in the long run because my angle really is the same concept. I smile to myself. This is going to be easier than I expected.

This boosts my confidence slightly. I feel hope surging through my body. I haven't felt hope in forever. I try to answer all of Vilga's questions in a sly tone. I try to keep answers short and vague so I don't too much away about myself. The less I give away the more mysterious I will seem. Eventually when Vilga has asked me enough questions to wear me down she finally declares that I am ready. She seems much more enthusiastic about this than when we started. I wonder if I really will look mysterious to the people of Panem.

Now that I've completed both of the stations it is almost dinner time. I spent the entire day training for a three minute interview tomorrow. It seems kind of stupid but I'm sure all of my skills will pay off. I haven't eaten much all day plus I didn't eat last night so I am starving by the time dinner comes. I eat the most I've eaten since I've gotten here.

As I finish the large piece of meat in front of me I realize that Celvis is sitting across from me. He is smiling! He hasn't smiled since before the reaping. I wonder what could have happened to make him like this. Reavis is pretty nice to him. Maybe that's what is. I eye Celvis suspiciously for a moment before I excuse myself. Something is not right.

That night I have many strange dreams which all connect to my interview somehow. The only thing that is the same in all of the dreams is the fact that I mess up somehow. I trip over my own dress, get laughed at by the audience, and even begin to cry. The whole thing seems so real to me until I wake the next morning. Gosh! This whole interview thing is putting a lot of stress on me.

Today will be reserved for styling. Loroc along with my giddy prep team will once again be primping my living matter for the interview. Loroc will also have my dress prepared by the end of the day.

A few hours later once I have prepared for the day I find myself surrounded by my prep team who are vigorously cleaning my body with a brush. I find that their styling tortures are more bearable than before. They do basically the same things they did last time maybe adding a few extra things in. I am rather fascinated by how they work. It's almost like they all share one mind.

They curl my hair again and add a small amount of makeup to my face. They also smother that stupid cream all over my body again which is supposed to make my skin feel smoother. Last of all they begin to paint my nails a metallic silver color. I've never had my nails painted before so it is a very foreign process to me. I watch in fascination as they paint each individual nail with a tiny brush.

After the prep team has finally managed to make me look as dazzling as I did for the opening ceremony, my stylist Loroc arrives. He is wearing an odd looking polka dotted suit which I'm sure must be a popular fashion style for the capitol. What really gets my attention is what he is holding. My dress. Like my nails polish it is has sparkling silver dots scattered along the black fabric. It sparkles beautifully and has a striking resemblance to stars in the night sky.

Loroc carefully helps me put the dress on and stands back to admire his work. A hush falls across the room and Loroc beams at me and says "Silver is the most mysterious color you know."

I twist my head around to look at Vilga who is seated at the back of the room. She must have told him what my angle for the interview was going to be. I tip toe over to the mirror cautiously to observe myself. The first thing I notice is how dark I look. I look beautiful and dark and the same time which is a gorgeous combination. My eyes shine like diamonds and my red hair falls in curls like fire onto my dress. The dress consumes my body in a dark veil of mystery which will greatly compliment my personality at the interview. I can't help but admire how lovely I look. So much has changed since I left District 5. Loroc is right, silver is the most mysterious color. My moment of awe is broken by Vilga who taps me gently on the shoulder.

"It's almost time." She tells me. I stare at her blankly even though I am hit by an incredible wave of anxiety. It can't be almost time! The reality of the situation begins to sink in. I am going to be in front of the entire country.

"Remember everything I've told you!" She says. "I know you'll do great!" Vilga prods me out the door and into the elevator where we travel down to the main floor. Several of the other tributes have already arrived and are gathered around the room looking wonderful in their outfits . Stantov, Reavis, and Celvis are already waiting for us in the corner of the room. Celvis is dressed in a golden suit which reflects light whenever he moves. He is smiling again which once again astonishes me.

"Hello Argent" he says happily.

"Hey." I reply quietly. I wonder what has changed his mood so much.

All of our mentors appear to be dressed up for the occasion. They all seem to be just as nervous as I am. Vilga appears to be ecspecially nervous.

"Remember to smile out there Argent." Stantov says. "Remember everything we learned about posture too!" I roll my eyes and nod at him. A lady is blowing a whistle announcing that we need to get in a single file line by District. The female for every District goes first which means I will go on stage before Celvis. Reavis gives Celvis a reassuring pat on the back before making his way back to where Vilga and Stantov are. We stand in line for a couple of minutes as a couple of attendants make sure we are all in order. I am behind the boy from District 4. I think his name is Courto

Before I know it the lady is blowing her whistle again and the line begins to move onto the stage. I follow Courto onto the stage. I feel like I'm going to be sick when I begin to see the cameras flashing the crowd. I try to compose myself and smile as I trot on stage in front of every person in Panem.


	6. Chapter 6 The Games Begin

The Fox's Game

Chapter 6- The Games Begin

**I've finally finished Chapter 6! This is the last chapter before the games finally begin! Thanks to Cashia and The Electric Reader who reviewed the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one. Everyone please review! It is much appreciated by me and I love to know what everyone thinks. I also want to thank all the people who favorited this story and added it to your alerts list.**

I can feel myself shaking as I walk onto the stage in my beautiful interview dress. The long chain of tributes is led onto the stage where the interviews are conducted. I am led to a long arc of chairs which circles the main podium. Impulsively I look out into the audience gathered in the City Circle. There are thousands of people out there! I suddenly begin to feel sick when I realize I'm going to have to speak in front of all of them.

There is a disturbance beside me. I look up to see Celvis waving out into the crowd. What is he thinking? Then I see who he is waving at. Now I know why he has been so excited lately. His father is sitting in the front row of the crowd waving back at Celvis happily. A rush of jealously suddenly hits me. His father is so rich he was able to afford a trip here. That must have cost a fortune! I am sickened by how much wealthier his family is than everyone else. It's simply not fair!

After everyone has been seated the host, Caesar Flickerman, leaps onto the stage wearing his hideous blue suit which has tiny electric dots scattered around it. This year he has dyed his hair a repulsive shade of blue which matches his makeup. He looks like a clown but the crowd adores him. He tells a few jokes which I can hardly consider funny before starting finally starting the interviews.

District 1, as always, begins the show. Glimmer struts onto the stage in a stunning dress that makes her look like some kind of angel. Even I will admit that this girl is beautiful. As I expected, she plays up a flirty and sexy angle that the audience adores. Her male counterpart looks just as good in his pure white suit while he acts strong and muscular. I can tell that everyone has practiced a certain angle for their interview. District 2 is extremely intimidating. They act like mindless killers while the small boy from District 3 acts witty and intelligent. District 4 tries to be tough like 2 but they definitely not as impressive. I begin to feel insanely nervous as the buzzer for District 4 rings. I know it is almost time.

When I hear my name I take a deep breath and stand up to walk center stage. Caesar shakes my hand. He must know that I am nervous because he winks at me before introducing me to the crowd. There is a small amount of applause before Caesar begins the interview.

"So Argent, how are you doing on this fine evening?" he asks me.

"I'm doing fine, how about you?" I say trying to give him a smile. He returns the smile before continuing.

"I am fabuous!" he says beaming at me. "I bet things here have been a change from District 5, eh?"

"Yes, things have been interesting for me." I say as if I had put much thought into the subject. "District 5 is much more...primitive than the capitol." Caesar laughs at my comment as if it was supposed to funny, which it wasn't.

"I bet so." he says with a grin. "What's been you're absolute favorite part?" I need to be more elusive. I need to answer his questions so that I look mysterious to the audience.

"Well..." I murmur. "Everything has been so interesting, it would be hard to pick a favorite."

"It is hard!" Caesar blurts out. "Everything is so great here, right?" he asks the audience. They all nod in agreement.

"So, let's get down to business. You scored a seven in training. A fairly high score for one of your size wouldn't you say?" I am slightly offended by his comment on my size but I just play along.

"Oh yes!" I say with a laugh. "I do have potential in certain areas...."

"I would certainly agree!" Caesar replies. "Do you think you could give us any info on went down during your training session?" he almost pleads. I give another laugh.

"I don't want to give anything away!" I say in an almost sinister tone. "Time will tell, I give you my word." The audience has gone strangely quiet. I realize they are probably a little intimidated by my dark response. Even Caesar seems a little perplexed. He pauses for a moment.

"We are all very eager to see how you will fare in the games Argent!" Caesar says regaining his train of thought. "You definitely seem to have a few tricks up your sleeves." I nod with a sly smile.

"I promise you will like what you see." Caesar smiles.

"You certainly are a very mysterious girl Argent." he says "I will expect the unexpected from you in the arena." I throw back my red hair in a superior fashion. "I'll do my best to stump you." I say darkly. Just then the buzzer rings announcing the end of my interview.

"Thank you for your lovely interview Argent!" Caesar projects over the audience's cheers

"My pleasure!" I reply before whipping around and returning to my seat. I can literally feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins as Celvis is called up for his interview. 'It's over!' I tell myself 'I did it!'. I feel glad that I have the whole thing over with so I can concentrate on other tributes and how they act.

Celvis stares mostly at his father throughout his whole interview yet he does a good job with his angle. He acts polite and pleasant. I guess I was kind of expecting him to act pathetic and child like like he usually does yet I suppose I underestimated him. He does a fine job.

The interviews go by fairly quickly. I find that many of the low scoring tributes try to act hopeful and enthusiastic so that the audience won't count them out already. The girl from 10 has a menacing feel to her interview while the boy from 11 acts stubborn and hostile.

Finally after I am getting sick of hearing Caesar's voice, it is District 12's turn. I am really hoping for a screw up from 12, but I know I can't be too optimistic.

Katniss walks up for her interview wearing a jeweled gown that dances around like flames. She answers several of Caesar's questions impulsively and gives me the impression that she is rather stupid. She spins around in her dress like some kind of idiot but the crowd loves her. I know that I am only mean to her because I am jealous, but what difference does it make. I begin to feel less nervous about District 12 now that Katniss is finished. Maybe her male counterpart won't do so well either.

Peeta Mellark takes the stage and begins his interview. He strikes me as being outgoing and friendly yet I doubt that he will pull another District 12 miracle. Just then something happens that completely changes my thoughts about District 12. Peeta declares his love for Katniss in front of the entire nation. The audience goes completely nuts and I glance over at Katniss to see that she is blushing deeply. I don't even hear the rest of the interview. I am so angry my mind has turned off everything except anger. How could these tributes be so lucky? Maybe it really isn't luck after all. Maybe these really are the perfect tributes. If that's the case then I better lose all hope now because I don't stand a chance against that kind of power.

The whole "love" act was genius. Why didn't I think of that? The capitol's citizens are gullible enough to believe anything so some kind of "forbidden love" thing would obviously make them go crazy. How stupid are they?

I suddenly realize that the tributes are standing for the anthem. I am torn between jealously and anger as I listen to the anthem and then exit the stage. The long chain of tributes moves into the main lobby where we take the elevators to our floors. I take the first elevator I can get and travel up to the 5th floor. I can already smell the delicious aroma of our dinner when I exit the elevator. It smells great but not even that can lift my spirits. Nothing can.

The rest of the District 5 crew arrives shortly after me. They shower Celvis and me with words of praise and admiration.

"You did better than I expected!" says Vilga cheerfully.

"Let's all celebrate" Reavis says after he congratulates Celvis. We celebrate by devouring an especially large meal while we discuss our favorite parts of the interviews. Everyone agrees that Celvis and I did great.

"What about District 12?" I project out angrily. "Did no one see the boy from 12? There's no way we get any sponsors!" I feel bad about what I said as soon as the words escape my lips. Everyone was so happy and I had to dampen the spirit by being snappy. No one speaks for the rest of dinner which only accelerates my anger in a way.

After our meal a replay of the interviews is screened. I personally think it's pointless to watch something you've already seen but Vilga convinces me that I should stay and watch.

"Don't you wan to see how you looked up there?" Vilga asks "At least stay to watch your own."

So I end up spending the next couple of minutes re-watching the interviews. When mine arrives I am slightly surprised at how well I did. I do very well at holding up my mysterious and sly act. I hide any emotion very well and answer all of the question exactly how I planned to. Not only did I appear mysterious, I looked kind of creepy. Wearing that menacing dress, smiling wickedly, laughing like some kind of psycho. Just hearing my paper thin voice gives me the chills.

I don't really feel like watching everything over again so I just kind of tune the rest of the program out, especially District 12. I suddenly realize what I will have to do tomorrow as the television finally turns off. Tomorrow marks the day for the beginning of the Hunger Games. Ah, so the time has finally arrived, the games are almost here. I don't feel upset or nervous, just acceptance. I have already accepted my fate, but that doesn't mean I'll go down without a fight. I have already planned to do everything in my power to stay alive. I have already promised my very good friend that and I have never broken a promise. I don't mean to either.

Now that the replay of the interviews is over, it is time for me to say goodbye to my mentors. Since the games start tomorrow Vilga, Reavis, and Stantov will leave now so that they can be at the game's main headquarters by tomorrow. They will have control of all of the money that we hopefully received from willing sponsors. With this money they will be able to send me things that I might need if I am in a life threatening situation. Since they are all at the headquarters my stylist 'Loroc' will be with me when I am launched into the games. The whole thing seems rather complicated to me but I'm sure the capitol will pull it off.

Stantov begins to swell up in what I can tell are fake tears as he realizes that it is time for us to part. This whole thing is probably meaningless to him. Vilga comes up to me with a grim look on her face.

"So, I guess this is it." I say bitterly.

"Don't worry Argent." Vilga says. "You're the smartest tribute out there. I truly believe you have what it takes to win." I smile at her even though I know her words are false. Even if I am slightly more clever than the average tribute it's not like it will help me. Vilga gets a more serious look on her face.

"Whatever you do , do NOT go into the bloodbath at the cornucopia tomorrow! The only things vital for your life are food, water, air, and shelter, all of which can be found without entering the fight at the cornucopia." she says in a very low voice.

"Okay." I say taking a deep breath. "I'll get out of there as fast as I can." Vilga gives me a broad smile.

"I know you can win. I know you have the power to stay alive out there." Suddenly she holds her hand out. I realize she is holding a bracelet. I take it from her smiling and examine it. It is a very simple piece of jewelry. It has a few beads but what really stands out is the charm that is hanging on it. The charm is in the form of a small fox. It is a beautiful silver color and glints like a recently polished sword.

"Take it. The board has already approved it and I want you to have it as your District token." Vilga says kindly. "It reminds me of you." and without another word Vilga turns and exits the room to follow my other mentors. I truly will miss Vilga. She was so nice to me and I hope she is somehow rewarded for what she has done.

Just as my mentors have departed, Loroc and Celvis' stylist Ronto arrive. Loroc beams at me.

"Boy did you look beautiful tonight!" he says. I give him a fake smile.

"Thanks Loroc, I better get going to bed. I have a big day ahead of me." I exit the sitting room without another word and make my way down the hall to my room. I'm glad to finally be rid of people. I need some time to myself. I am truly exhausted from all of today's activities I've suffered through, yet I know it will be impossible for me to fall asleep. I'm so anxious about tomorrow I wouldn't sleep no matter how tired I was. Nevertheless, I must attempt the impossible and try to fall asleep.

As I predicted I lie in bed for hours before I finally fall asleep. I try to imagine what the Hunger Games will be like. I ask myself a million questions that I know I can't answer. 'What will the arena look like?' 'What will I eat?' 'How will I find water?' 'How will I die?' I continue to ask myself all of these unanswerable questions as I finally fall into a deep sleep. I dream of the fox again yet this time it is a different location. This time the fox is chased by some kind of mutated bird which has a red berry in it's mouth. It follows the fox for miles before the berry explodes and the red juice that resembles blood seeps to the ground forming a huge lake of juice. I have this dream over and over again. Each time it becomes more vivid. Finally, I hear Loroc's voice waking me from the deep slumber.

"It's time to wake up Argent. The games are almost here." I groan as I force myself to get out of my comfortable bed and follow Loroc down the hall. He gives me a nightgown to wear so that I will have something to wear until I get my arena clothes in the launch room. He leads me out to a balcony on the perimeter of the floor that I never noticed before. It contains a small garden but other than that it is basically empty. Suddenly out of nowhere, a hovercraft appears. A ladder rolls down to me and Loroc signals for me to climb it. Before I can reach the top an electrical current seals me to the ladder and I am pulled inside safely. An elderly looking man with a needle is inside the craft waiting for me.

"This is your tracker Argent. It may hurt a little when I insert it but try to relax so it will be easier for me to place." I follow his instructions yet I still feel pain as he inserts the tracker into my body. The tracker will literally track my location at all times while I am in the arena. If they can track me they can't lose me. As soon as the man disappears into a back room Loroc is brought up into the hovercraft on the same ladder I came up in. He leads me to a small table where my breakfast is already laying. I eat as much as I can since this will be the last decent meal I get before I leave for the games.

I can already feel my nerves kicking in as the ride begins. This hovercraft will transport me to the launch room. I try to distract myself by looking out the large window in the side of the craft. I've never been so high up in my life and it truly is fascinating to see everything from this angle. The ride lasts about twenty or thirty minutes. The window is dimmed about fifteen minutes into the ride so that I can't see out it. We must be nearing the arena. I am feeling very anxious now. Everything is going too fast! The games are starting within hours. When the hovercraft finally stops, the ladder reappears and Loroc and I are hooked on and lowered through a tube into the launch room.

Loroc helps me off the ladder and I begin to look around at the place some people refer to as the stockyard. It is a very simple room. In the very center of the room there is a large metal plate which will lift me up into the arena.

I shower off quickly in the small bathroom before I tie my hair into a ponytail so that it will stay out of my eyes. I know it will come undone eventually but it makes me feel good to have it up like this. After I am completely cleaned up, Loroc presents my clothes to me that I will wear in the arena. First I put on some thick undergarments that will keep me warm during cold nights. Next he hands me a simple blouse and some black pants. I also receive a long black jacket that has a 5 on the back. The boots I am given fit me perfectly and seem like they would be good hiking shoes. Everything looks great now but I'm sure that they will all be ruined in the arena.

"Now what?" I ask knowingly.

"Now we wait." Loroc answers in a deep voice. I take a deep breath and try to keep my mind off the games. I'm more nervous than I've ever been in my life. I even begin to bite my nails which is something I usually don't do. I sit there shakily for about thirty minutes before a female's voice suddenly projects over a speaker.

"Good morning tributes! It is now time to launch for the games. Please step onto the large metal plate located in the center of the room. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!" I follow her instructions by stepping onto the metal plate. I begin to breath much heavier. It's almost time.

I begin to panic as I realize how close I really am. I could be dead in ten minutes or less!

"Good luck!" Loroc says as a large cylindrical tube begins to drop over me. I can feel the plate beneath me as it begins to rise. For about fifteen seconds I am in total darkness yet the plate is still moving upward.

Suddenly, I feel a strong wind against my skin and I am blinded by the sunlight which pierces my eyes. I hear the announcer Claudius Templesmith's voice as my eyes begin to adjust to the sunlight. His voice projects loudly across the arena and I will never forget the words that he says.

"Ladies and gentleman, let the seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"


	7. Chapter 7 Bloodbath

The Fox's Game

Chapter 7- Bloodbath

**Thank you, thank you to everyone who read chapter 6. I had the most viewers I've had yet!!! Thanks again to my reviewers Montague Disciple and my new reviewer Merlin34! Thanks for the review Merlin; I never got to reply to you. Okay everyone, I've finally made it up to the games! I've been planning this chapter for a very long time so I hope you enjoy this. By the way, school will be starting for me soon and I might have even slower updates (Yes, it is possible). Finally as I say every time yet it never seems to help….I need your reviews. Even if it's negative I accept criticism and each review that I get makes me very excited. Maybe I'll get more reviews now that the games are finally starting! (hint, hint)**

Each tribute is required to stand on their plate for sixty seconds before the gong rings releasing us into the arena. Each plate has a complex mining system that blows up if it senses movement before the sixty seconds is up. It usually keeps the tributes from leaving their plates early but their have been times in the past where tributes have been blown to bits. I remember a few years back when the girl from District 9 dropped her district token. That was a gruesome sight.

I quickly begin to observe my surroundings since there won't be much time to relax once the chaos has begun. To my left there appears to be woods and to the right there is a large lake which is also surrounded by woods. I'm glad the Gamemakers decided to go with this "forest" theme this year as woods will provide much more cover than former arenas.

Straight ahead of me is the legendary cornucopia. It is centered in the middle of a large plain that had many bushes, shrubs, and other plants scattered around. The cornucopia itself has lots of helpful looking objects inside but I know I must follow Vilga's instructions. She said the only things vital for life are food, shelter, air, and …and water. Water. I look to my right abruptly where the lake is sitting cooling in the midst of all the trees. That lake could very well be the only source of water in the whole arena. I need to get some before it's too late.

I am suddenly torn in an internal conflict. Should I risk my life now for water or should I risk the chance of there being no other water in the arena? My instincts are telling me that I should risk my life in the chaos, yet logic tells me that it would be too dangerous. I think about what I should do for a couple of seconds desperatey trying to imagine which one would be more beneficial. After a couple of uncomfortable seconds I come to the conclusion that I should probably try to get the bottle. I'm still not completley sure that it is the best decision though.

I bite my lip and scan the plain for some type of canteen. I suddenly spot one, about 20 yards in and I find myself positioning myself to run in and get it. 'It's worth the risk!' I keep telling myself. I can't let myself die from thirst!

I turn and look at my fellow tributes. To my left is the small boy from District 3. His eyes are darting around the arena frantically and I can tell that he is probably going through the same conflict as me now. That creepy girl from District 10 is to my right and she has her eyes fixed on a bronze axe in the middle of the field. I look around for Celvis and I spot him about seven plates down from me between the tributes from 7. He looks scared out of his mind.

My whole life begins flashing before me as I realize that I have about 10 seconds of peace left. I see my home back in District 5, Vilga and all my other mentors, Selene smiling sadly, my parents before they left me…..BOOOM!

The gong rings! With all the strength I have in my body, I throw myself into the chaos. Many of the tributes are much faster than me, yet I am smaller so they don't pay too much attention to me. I run as fast as I can, hurling myself around tributes and flying objects.

When I reach the canteen, the killing has already begun. I immediately look away when I see the poor boy from District 6 being pounded to death by Cato. With the bottle in my hand, I turn around and run straight for the lake. I can feel myself hyperventilate as I look at the faces of the already dead around me. The girl from 3, the boy from 6, the girl from 9… there's too many to count!

I am really freaking out when I reach the lake. I plunge the bottle into the water and wait for the clear liquid to gurgle to the top. When the bottle is about half way full I feel a sudden push against me. I go flailing into the lake screaming like a psycho. That's when I see her, That nasty girl from District 10 who I've been so worried about all along holding that bronze axe that I saw her staring at. She and her limping male counterpart are standing there laughing at me madly.

"Kill her Rayven!" the boy says excitedly. "Give the audience a show."

"With pleasure." She replies her eyes gleaming with anticipation. She pulls her axe above her head and sends it flying directly at me.

I plunge underneath the water but I still feel the sharp stab of the axe as it hits me in the shoulder. It lost some momentum in the water but it still hit me hard enough to draw blood. I frantically swim away from the girl. The pain from the wound I received is hurting like crazy. I can hear the splash of the water as the girl whose name must be Rayven jumps in after me. I look back and see her dive under to grab her axe and then begin to pursue me. She is a much faster swimmer than me probably based on the fact that District 10 is right on the edge of what people call the ocean. I got a slight head start though so I still have a chance to escape.

When I reach the other side of the lake, I pull myself out of the water and begin running. I realize that I am still holding the canteen I got at the cornucopia. I knew this wasn't worth the risk! Rayven is right on my heels and is laughing in a deranged fashion that is making me fear for my life. Before I know it she's caught up to me. She flings me on the ground and tackles me. She holds her axe to my throat but I knock it away with my arm. It lands a couple of yards away. She glances over at her axe for a moment and then back at me. She smiles at me wickedly and begins to reach for my throat.

I begin to struggle desperately but it's hopeless. The girl is much larger than me and will not be uprooted. She has a very firm grip on my throat and is choking me very effectively. I try to scream for help but what's the point. Who will help me in this arena? I'm beginning to feel very dizzy and disoriented from being thrown around so much.

I'm going to die! I suddenly realize this grave fact. I really am going to die. The reality of the situation is taking a major toll on my sanity so I hardly notice it when Rayven releases my throat.

I look up at her and realize that she has a knife stuck in her arm. She shrieks aloud and yanks the knife out quickly which only causes the wound to pour blood. She turn around and lunges for her axe revealing the boy from District 4, Courto. The pair begin to fight violently. The boy is armed with a couple of knives and a spear and all Rayven has is an axe. He certainly does seem to have the advantage but she is surprisingly skilled with that axe. They seem to have completely forgotten about me. I am still gasping for air so I hardly realize that this is my chance to escape. The pair are getting farther and farther away from me because they move around as they fight. I grab my bloodstained bottle and jump over to the lake to fill it up. I went to all this trouble to get water so I might as well finish what I started. This time, I am sucessfull though and the entire bottle is filled. I dash into the woods closest to me and begin to flee for my life.

I am obviously still in shock from my little encounter from Rayven because I am breathing very heavily and my whole body is shaking violently. All of my clothes are dripping wet from swimming through the lake. I'm sure I look a mess. I've never been much of a runner so I begin to feel tired after about five or six minutes. I also feel extremely nauseasous from being thrown around so much.

I stop running when I reach a small cluster of trees. I suppose I will make my fort here. I take a large gulp of my water before I begin to examine the wound I received. The axe must have just grazed my shoulder because only a small portion of the shoulder is damaged. It's not anything serious though. I try to wipe some of the blood off with some leaves because I don't want to waste my water on it.

I just sit there for several minutes resting and recovering from my experience at the bloodbath. I can claim that I was successful though as I got the water and I'm still alive.

"What now?" I say to myself out loud. I think deeply about how I should pursue the next few days of the games. I eventually decide that I need to build some kind of shelter up in the trees as one on the ground would be much too obvious. I also need to look around for some food. I have already planned to survive on roots and berries during my time in the arena. I was able to identify many of the poisonous plants in the Training Center so I don't think it will be too difficult for me to find some. After that I'll just play it by ear.

I begin to collect sticks and logs off of the ground and throw them into a pile. then I want to build a shelter and these sticks will act as a platform. After I find what I consider to be enough sticks, I begin to look for a tree that I will be able to climb up easily. I eventually find one that reaches up about 20ft. It has plenty of cover so I'm sure I'll be able to hide in it easily. I climb the sticks up to the top and begin placing them so that they form a platform. I tie the whole thing together with some fibers I find in a nearby bush. I am very proud of my creation even if it is a little lopsided.

Suddenly the cannons begin to ring across the arena announcing the bloodbath has ended and all the deaths have been counted. There is one blast of a cannon for each person killed at the bloodbath. The Gamemakers don't even bother shooting cannons during the bloodbath because the deaths are so hard to keep track of. I count eleven cannons which mean that eleven young teenagers lost their lives today at the bloodbath. I have no idea who these eleven are except the few that died before I got out of there. I wonder if Celvis made it through the bloodbath. I kind of doubt that he did yet I don't want him dead. If I don't win then I hope Celvis does because he's been so nice this week and he doesn't deserve to die. I won't know for sure until tonight because the pictures of the dead will be projected in the sky tonight.

Daylight is fading away quickly so I need to go look for food now. I climb down from the tree carefully and decide which way I should go. I feel I should try and travel away from the cornucopia because there will probably be less people in that direction. I wander through the woods slowly looking for any type of plant that I remember as being edible. I try not to make any sound when I walk just in case somebody is nearby. I try to conceal myself behind boulders, trees, and bushes whenever possible.

Eventually I come to a clearing. I begin looking around in the tall wavy grass and I eventually find a small patch of berries. I rush over to examine the berries. They are a dark blue color and are rather small and plump. When I was back at the training center at the edible plants station each plant was put on an index card with information and pictures of the plant. I try to remember a card that might have had something to do with this. Just as I think I might have remembered the plant as being edible I hear a shout from the woods behind me.

I immediately stop what I am doing and retreat back into the woods to hide. I try to compose myself so that I won't panic. Panicking will only get you killed in this sick game. I find a large rock that has a small crevice at the top. Nobody would ever spot me there. I climb up and squeeze into the crevice and cover the opening with some leaves.

I peer out of a little peephole to see what's going on. I don't see anyone but I can still hear shouting. I can tell that the person is in a life threatening situation by the way they are shouting. It's rather unnerving to hear! The person must be getting closer to me because the shouting is getting louder every second. It doesn't take long for me to spot a figure running madly towards me being closely pursued by another tribute. As the figure gets closer I begin to realize who it is. Peeta Mellark. He is being chased through the woods by who appears to be Clove. The chase continues for only a few more seconds before Clove lunges out at Peeta and pins him to the ground. He squirms around trying to free himself but Clove is not budging.

"Hello District 12!" Clove says with a deranged grin on her face. Peeta just sits there motionlessly staring at Clove like a frightened animal. She pulls a knife out of her vest and holds it to Peeta's throat.

"I am going to ask you one question and it will determine whether you live or die." Clove says to Peeta. "So you better answer it correctly or you will suffer worse than you ever have before." Peeta nods vigorously.

"Okay then." Clove says. "Tell me where the girl on fire is." I can see the panic in Peeta's eyes as he hears the question. I'm betting that he probably knows exactly where she is and is going to have to lead Clove to her hiding place in order to live. It's kind of ironic that he pulled out this whole "star crossed lovers thing because now it's going to be his fault that she dies.

"I can't answer that." Peeta stutters out.

"You better, or I will kill you right here, right now in the most slow and torturous way I can imagine." She slides the knife across his cheek drawing blood. Peeta screams. "Alright, I know where she is!" he blurts out. Clove sits back with a satisfied look on her face.

"That's what I thought!" she says. "Now come with me. We have work to do!" She grabs Peeta's arm and yanks him after her back toward the cornucopia.

I wait until the pair has completely disappeared from my view before I exit my hiding place. That was a very interesting scene! I was lucky to have noticed them before it was too late and I have a feeling Clove would not have been as merciful with me. I am curious as to what Peeta will do but I expect it won't end nicely for him. In fact, I'm so curious that I actually consider going back to the cornucopia to see what happens. I immediately shake the idea away though because I know I'll just end up getting killed. I walk back to my fort completely forgetting about the berries only consumed with thought about what will come of Peeta. The closer I get to my fort the more eager I am to sneak back to the cornucopia to watch what happens. I didn't get caught a few minutes ago so why would I get caught now. I am obviously sneaky and clever enough to handle myself so I'm sure that I will be able to make it out alive.

By the time I get to my fort I have made up my mind and continue past it on toward the cornucopia. I retrace my steps back to the field where the bloodbath took place. My fort must only be about a half mile into the woods because I reach the plain within a few minutes. When I reach the edge of the woods I look out carefully to make sure no one is there. I can make out the figures of the careers on the opposite side of the plain huddled around who I'm sure is Peeta. I sneak back to where the games started. I maneuver myself so that I can't be seen by the careers that loom only 50 yards away. As I get closer I begin to hear them arguing. I slink as close as I possibly can get before I conceal myself in a big and leafy bush.

In a few minutes it is obvious to see that the careers are arguing about whether or not Peeta should join their alliance. Clove thinks he could lead them to where the girl on fire is hiding. I have never heard this nickname for Katniss before but it makes sense since she literally was on fire during the opening ceremony. A couple of the other careers like Sprint and the girl from 4 think that they should just kill Peeta now. Glimmer seems to be rather neutral about the whole thing and Cato is sitting a few feet away just listening to the whole thing with a serious look on his face. He looks pretty angry that everyone is arguing. The careers continue fighting for a few more minutes before Cato stands up and ends it.

"Everyone just shut up!" He shouts. "Arguing will not get us anywhere." Cato seems to have established himself as the leader because everyone goes silent. After an awkward pause Cato says "He's staying with us and that's final. Clove and I already agreed that District 12 must suffer. If he can lead us to where his pathetic little girlfriend is then I want to have him here." That seemed to settle the matter nicely because everyone stops yelling.

"Just one thing…" the girl from 4 says slowly.

"What?" asks Cato obviously annoyed.

"Where is the girl on hiding?" she says pointedly in Peeta's direction. Peeta seems flustered by all the arguing yet he answers the girl'a question unusually quickly.

"Well, I know the basic location that she's hiding but not the spot. We promised that we would meet on the eastern side of the arena but Clove stopped me before I could get to her." I can tell that he is lying. People's eyes look a certain way when they are lying and Peeta certainly does have that look right now. The careers seem to believe him though.

"You will lead us to her." Cato says assertively. Peeta nods. "We leave in no less than fifteen minutes. Gather your weapons."

The group goes over to a large pile of supplies and grab their weapons. The pile is bulging over with all the items they collected at the bloodbath. Just looking at it makes me envious. They collected this whole pile of stuff and all I got was a stupid water bottle. I should be the one with the supplies. They've trained years for this! I'm the one who really needs it. Just then an idea pops into my head. The careers are leaving! That gives me the perfect opportunity to go in and steal some of their supplies! It's brilliant! This way I wouldn't have to go and collect berries, I could just steal enough food to keep me alive. I'm so excited about my idea that I nearly reveal myself to the careers, but I catch myself before it's too late.

After they have all suited up and collected their weapons, they stand in a circle.

"Who's going to stay and watch the supplies?" Cato asks. No one volunteers. "Okay…Glimmer you stay behind."

"Why me?" Glimmer asks in an upset voice. "Can't we just leave the supplies here. Who would even think to steal our stuff?"

"Just this one time Glimmer. You can tag along next time. I'm not really worried about anyone stealing our stuff either but you can't take a chance." Cato says.

"Fine." She says in a pouty voice throwing her bow and arrows and the ground. She storms back to the cornucopia angrily while the rest of the group makes for the woods opposite of where I was hiding.

A smile begins to form on my face as I watch the careers disappear into the woods. I've been doing this for years. How could this time be any different? There are no security devices to slow me down this time! I just need to get Glimmer out of the way. I pick up a couple of rocks and send them flying deep into the woods behind the cornucopia. They go crashing down into the leaves making a sound loud enough for Glimmer to hear. She comes sprinting out of the cornucopia and grabs her bow and arrows.

"Who's there?" she says in a low voice. She heads into the woods cautiously. Now's my chance.

I dart out of my hiding place toward the pile in front of the cornucopia. I grab a few pieces of fruit, a loaf of bread and a bag which looks like it might contain some supplies. I hurriedly stuff the fruit into my pockets and fling the pack around my back and dash back towards the woods.

I'm laughing by the time I reach my fort. I can't believe my luck. I was able to steal from the careers without getting caught. I'm sure the cameras must be focused on me right now because I just made myself a contender. I'm glad that I learned how to steal back in District 5. I can tell already that it will be to my benefit in this games. I wonder what Vilga is thinking now as she watches me climb back up into my tree with my newly stolen supplies. She's probably thinking that she's right. I'm not like the usual District 5 tribute, I actually have a chance.


	8. Chapter 8 Mines

The Fox's Game

Chapter 8- Mines

**Hello everyone! I know that it's been a SUPER long time since I updated last but I hope you'll forgive me. I've had a lot going on with the new school year and I haven't had much time for writing. I have this one finished though so I hope you all like it. Thanks to all my reviewers-Montague Disciple, caisha702, ListentotheWind, iheartbluetoo, and everto lupus. I have a few special shout outs to everyone as well. ListentotheWind is also writing a Foxface story with the exact same name as mine so don't get them confused. Go check out the other 'Fox's Game' because it's really good! Also I want to congratulate everto lupus on being the first one to figure out what 'Argent Vulpes' means. It means Silver Fox in Latin for everyone who was wondering. I've been planning that one for awhile now (I thought I was so clever when I came up with that one :)) Last of all, I called the boy from District 1 Sprint, but Catching Fire reveals his name is Marvel so I changed his name. Anyways thanks again for all the support from everyone, and I once again apologize for being sooo late with this. Remember to review…… **

I scramble up the tree, still laughing hysterically from my recent success. Stealing from the careers proved to be a much easier than I thought it would be. When I reach my little platform that I created earlier today, I look over the things I have stolen. I have a couple of apples, a loaf of bread, and some sort of survival pack. I glance inside the pack curiously to figure out what's inside. The first thing I find is a first-aid-kit. At first I think I've hit the jackpot with medical supplies but then I realize it just contains a few bandages and some cheap medicines. I also find a sweater along with some beef strips and a pair of rather useless looking sunglasses.

Well, I suppose I have enough food to last me three or four days. I also think that I will keep warm at night if I wear this camouflage sweater, and the medical kit will help a little with the wound I received earlier today at the bloodbath. I am fairly satisfied with all of my supplies except these weird sunglasses. They must have some sort of purpose. Perplexed, I put them on and my question is quickly answered. These are night-vision glasses! The darkness around me has been transformed into a strange green color. I knew that these existed, but I didn't think the Gamemakers would put such an expensive item in the arena without the help of a sponsor.

I begin to organize my supplies around me so that I can fall asleep. My head has begun to hurt slightly so I assume I am becoming dehydrated. I take a large gulp of my water before I slip on my sweater and try to fall asleep.

It is immediately obvious that it is going to be very difficult to sleep. The platform I made is extremely uncomfortable. I try to get more comfortable in various positions, but it's useless.

I lay there for what seems like hours reflecting on today's events. Was it really this morning that the games started? It feels like a lifetime ago. My train of thought breaks apart when the anthem suddenly begins to blare above me. The pictures of those killed today are about to be flashed up into the sky. I brace myself to look into their eyes knowing that they will never be opened again.

The first photo to enter the sky is that of the girl from District 3. I was kind of expecting that one from the moment I saw her in the recaps of the reapings. She was rather scrawny and pathetic.

I suddenly realize how horrible I'm being. Here I am congratulating myself on being correct about a poor young girl's life. I awkwardly push the thought away and continue to watch the sky.

The boy from District 4 is the next to take the sky. Oh! I had forgotten all about him when I was spying on the careers, but it suddenly occurs to me that he wasn't there. Could this mean that the girl from District 10 is still alive? I certainly hope not because I bet she will come after me and finish what she started.

My heart nearly stops as Celvis' photo flashes across the sky next. I can't say I didn't expect this but that doesn't make me feel any better. He didn't deserve death, yet neither do any of the kids in this sick game. I sigh trying to cheer myself up by thinking that I'm one step closer to home now.

The images of the dead continue to shine across the sky. All of the tributes from 6, 7, and 9 are dead along with that boy I climbed against from District 8. I make a mental note that the girl from District 8 is still alive somewhere. That makes ten, one left.

The last photo is flashed up and I immediately recognize Rayven from District 10. I sigh in relief knowing that there's not some psycho who is specifically targeting me. She was working with the boy from her District, but I don't think he'll come after me with his crippled leg.

'Eleven down, twelve to go' I think to myself silently. Who left to fight? I know all of the careers from 1 and two are alive along with their ally from 4 and Peeta. Katniss must be alive also because Rayven was the last one shown. That makes seven.

The boy from 3 is alive along with the girl from 8, which makes nine. Who else? The crippled boy………and both from 11. That makes thirteen including me.

I lay back down on the rough surface of my platform consumed in deep thought. I think about all of the remaining tributes, trying to predict what I will do in order to stay alive.

I eventually fall asleep after the death recap. My dreams are filled with brutal images of Celvis being murdered in every way possible. He calls out to me for help, but I can never reach him in time.

I only wake once in the night to the sound of a cannon. The careers must have found their first victim.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully without any more dreams or deaths.

I wake up unusually early in the morning to a terrible scream. It echoes all around the forest much too close for my liking. I climb down a little to see what's going on.

I barely make out the figure of the boy from District 3 about fifty yards to my right. He's frantically running toward me looking over his back every once in a while to see what's going on. I spot the careers as they suddenly burst out from the clearing where he appeared, grinning at the prospect of a new kill.

They split apart like a pack of wolves and surround the boy with their weapons drawn.

"Awww, if it isn't the little boy from District 3." Clove says in a mockingly sweet voice. "Are you ready to die?" she continues her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Wait!" he screeches out as the Careers close in around him. "I think I might be able to help you." The careers burst out laughing. Even I am slightly amused. There's nothing he could offer to them!

"How could a pathetic child from District 3 possibly be of any use to us?" Cato asks.

"What can you do?" Peeta asks obviously very uncomfortable with the situation. The boy pauses for a moment as if he is not sure the careers will believe him.

"I think I might be able to reestablish the landmines," he says stuttering. The careers stop laughing when they hear this and eye each other suspiciously.

"You would be able to protect your supplies without a guard!" The boy continues.

"I don't believe you!" Cato interjects moving towards the boy menacingly. The boy cowers and falls back on the ground.

"I pr-promise." He whimpers. "Just give me a chance." Cato considers the offer for a moment. He looks to Clove for confirmation and she nods.

"Alright!" Cato yells at the boy, yanking him up from the ground. "But if you are lying, I swear you will die in the most painful way I can imagine." The boy's eyes widen in fear and he whimpers as Cato drags him back toward their camp.

"Pathetic…" I hear one of them say.

Huh! That was very interesting! If what the boy said is true, my entire plan will be ruined. The careers would use the mines to guard their supplies so that no one could steal from them. I'll need to check this out later today and see if he's lying or not.

I climb back up to my platform and eat a slice of bread and an apple. It doesn't really fill me up that well, but I need to save what little food I have left. My water supply is also falling at an alarmingly fast rate. If I could find another water source I might be able to fill my bottle on a regular basis without worrying about the careers.

I glance at the wound I received yesterday. The wound isn't that bad in general, but it could easily get infected if I don't put a bandage on it. I look in my first-aid kit for a bandage that will fit my shoulder and eventually find one at the bottom of the kit.

The next few hours pass by without anything happening. I search for a source of water around me but find nothing. I nearly fall into a trap that the careers must have set, but I catch myself before it's too late.

By mid-day I've accomplished nothing but frustration and I'm beginning to feel dehydrated again. My bottle only has one fourth of the original amount remaining, and I am worried I might not be able to find any water other than the lake.

I also need to see if the boy from District 3 has accomplished anything too. I haven't heard a cannon yet so I assume that he must be doing something to impress the careers.

I eventually decide that I should travel back towards the lake so I can things straight with my water and District 3.

I beginning to memorize the way back to the careers base camp because I've used it so much. I find myself moving at a much more calculated and comfortable speed than yesterday. When I reach the edge of the woods I peer out at the camp. All of the careers are sleeping except that boy from 1, Marvel, and their new reinforcement from District 3.

Marvel watches the boy suspiciously as he fiddles around with one of the metal plates. I wonder if the boy is tricking them. He might be planning to escape whenever the opportunity presents itself. On the other hand he is from District 3 which would mean that he would know a lot about bombs and mechanical stuff.

I swoop in towards the lake concealing myself whenever possible. I can't imagine what would happen if the careers found me. I have a feeling they wouldn't let me off the hook so easily; they already have a big enough team.

I slouch behind a rock and fill my canteen up quietly. Marvel seems pretty preoccupied with District 3 so I kind of doubt I'll be seen, but that doesn't make me feel any safer about this.

After the canteen is full, I begin to retreat into the woods again, but I am distracted by a sudden shriek. I look back sharply and see the boy from 3 rolling around on the ground holding his finger. He must have electrocuted himself with all of those wires. I probably would laugh if the situation wasn't so tense.

Unfortunately, the boy's shriek must have roused the sleeping careers because they slowly begin to wake up. I quickly dodge behind a nearby rock so I won't be seen.

"Anything interesting?" Cato asks Marvel.

"Nope. The kid's just been fiddling around with all those wires. I am beginning to question if he was telling the truth or not." Marvel replies. Cato turns his attention back to the boy.

"I hope not!" he says mockingly. "Because our little friend made a promise to us and if he breaks that promise he's really going to regret it." Marvel laughs out loud at Cato's comment but the boy is not so amused.

"I promise I'm not lying. I just need a little more time." He says, still clutching his finger. "And my name is Tox by the way. You can call me that if you want." He stutters out. Tox, odd name. Sounds like something District 1 might name their children but I suppose it's no worse than 'Glimmer'.

"Okay 'Tox'" Cato says annoyed. "We'll give you one more day to finish your little project but if you're not done by then…you know what happens." Tox nods emphatically and immediately begins to restart his work.

I figure I'm rather trapped now that all the careers are awake so I decide I might as well just stay here until the coast is clear. I watch Tox for a very long time, carefully memorizing which mines he resets. If I am going to continue to steal from the careers I am going to have to figure out the safest way to get to the supplies without blowing myself up.

The careers are also at work. They take their food and form a giant pyramid around the mines. If I hadn't known what they were doing, I think I would be very confused at this point. A tribute has never managed to reset the mines before so this must be very surprising to the Gamemakers. That boy from District 3 should have scored at least a 7 with that type of knowledge.

After a few hours of spying I begin to feel very hungry. I wait until the careers are distracted and then I spring into the woods. I take my normal route back into the woods and back to my tree. When I get to about the half-way point, I begin to hear a strange noise.

_Crackle! Crackle! _I twirl around in the direction of the sound. I see nothing except the trees. I look around suspiciously. Something is not right about this picture.

"It must have been a squirrel or something." I say aloud, not wanting my pursuer to know that I have suspicions. I continue to my tree, moving at a much faster pace. I have this terrible feeling that I'm being watched.

Up in my tree I have a little bit of food for my dinner. The sun is beginning to disappear and I haven't eaten since this morning, so the meal is very satisfying.

Even after I have finished eating I still have the weird feeling that I'm being watched. I nonchalantly peer off the side of the tree. Someone knows I'm here and I need to escape from them before they kill me. I have no weapons or anything, so fighting would not be a good option. I just need to escape to another tree.

I decide the best time to escape would be during the night. I could easily find a hiding place in the shadows and escape from this unknown predator. I doubt it is any of the careers so that doesn't leave many people. Thresh? Katniss? Rue? I don't think any of them could be this wily.

That's when it hits me. There's only one person that would be keeping this close a watch on me. The one person in this arena who is angry with me. The boy from District 10, the cripple. It's my fault his District partner is dead and he probably has not forgiven me. He's waiting for me to come down the tree. Once I come down, he'll kill me. I shiver. I'm lucky that I thought this through or I definitely would be dead within a few hours.

I wait for several hours occasionally taking a sip of water. I need to wait until it's dark enough for me to escape and then I'll put on my night-vision goggles and escape into the shadows.

The anthem begins to play after a while and I see that it was the girl from District 8 who died last night. Half of the tributes are dead now. I'm surprised I've made it this far. After the girl's picture has vanished from the sky I decide it's time to make my move.

I take a deep breath and put on my night vision goggles. All of the darkness is transformed into the green color produced by the glasses. I stuff all of my supplies into my bag and strap it around my back.

I begin to climb down the tree as quietly as I can which is rather difficult to do with all of the leaves. I pause for a second when I reach the bottom. I don't really know which way to go. Eventually I jump to the ground and travel so that I am still parallel to the cornucopia.

It doesn't take long for me to hear the '_Crackle! Crackle!' _of the leaves behind me again. It's rather unnerving to know that the boy is literally stalking me through the woods at night.

After a while the sound stops and my anxiety begins to settle. Just about when I think I've found the right spot to hide for the night, I begin to hear a wheezing sound. _'Ehhhh! Ehhhh!'_ It sounds almost like laughter. I turn around slowly and find myself face to face with the boy from District 10.

At first I'm too shocked to move but when I see the razor sharp butcher knife that he wields I immediately snap back to my senses. I stumble backwards just in time to dodge a lethal slash from the boy.

I turn around and bolt as fast as I can away from the boy. I'm too scared to care what direction I'm going in. Adrenaline has taken over and I'm going as fast as I ever have. The crippled boy pursues me as fast as his legs will take him. He actually is shockingly fast for a crippled boy, walking with jerky and abrupt motions.

I am still much faster than him and eventually lose him. I continue running for as long as I dare until I find some sort of cave which provides great shelter.

That was close, too close! I can't let myself be found so easily again. At least I was able to escape. That's what really matters. The freaky thing is that the crippled boy is still alive. He'll definitely be looking for me tomorrow while it's light. It's a terrible feeling to know that he wants to kill me more than any of the other tributes in the arena.

I collapse on the hard yet cool floor of the cave and prepare myself to fall asleep. The ground is much more comfortable than last night but the circumstances are different. I'm still afraid that the boy will find me if I fall asleep even in such a dark area. Several emotions begin to surface as I lay there on the cold floor of the cave. Anger at the boy from District 10. Relief that I am still alive. Hatred of the Capitol. Loathing of the world.

**I'll remind you here again to review just in case you forgot ;).**


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